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Tips & tricks for professional video calls
You may need to upgrade your video calling routines
We want to play our professional roles well and be credible. This requires careful coordination between the words we speak and the behavior we show, just like actors on the stage of a theater.
Unfortunately, this coordination is missing in most of our video calls. For example, our video contacts seem to be constantly distracted because they never look at us. They undermine their own credibility with this behavior. You may even have a colleague who has the habit of forcing you to look at one of his ears, and to sometimes peek into his throat during a poorly suppressed yawn.
To appear credible and involved, you want to appear professional. You also want to protect your ability to concentrate and your mental energy so that your effectiveness is not undermined. This requires proper preparation and the application of professional video calling routines.
We have collected 8 best practices for you and your colleagues and recommend applying them to all your video calls.
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances.
And one man in his time plays many parts.”
William Shakespeare
The 8 best practices for effective video calls
1. Create a suitable lighting environment
You want to come across as a video-pro so that people will really listen to you. Make sure your face is evenly lit so you can send clear video images of yourself. Avoid sitting with your back turned towards a large window on a sunny day, or next to a bright lamp casting shadows on your face on a dark day.
2. Sit up straight and don’t look down
You want to appear energetic and involved, and also respectful. When your laptop is directly resting on your desk, you are forced to look down at the screen. This puts a strain on your neck and makes you seem to look down at your video contacts condescendingly. You want to prevent that. You’d better align the vertical position of your screen with the position of your head. Use a laptop stand.
3. Remove your selfie window
Protect yourself from selfie anxiety by turning off the self-view option. It can be stressful to see your own video image on your screen during a call. It distracts you, and increases your video fatigue. Switch it off. Focus on the meeting and on achieving the goals you have set for yourself.
4. Employ your eye contact effectively
When using eyeQ instead of a laptop camera or webcam, let your eyes do their job as in a face-to-face meeting. Brief moments of eye contact are usually enough to help you achieve your goals. Realize that staring at someone’s eyes for a long time feels very uncomfortable, also in a video call.
5. Maintain your focus
Protect your busy brains and the quality of the meeting by blocking any distractions. Do not consult other media while on a call, unless it is functional for the call. You may already know that it’s a myth that women are good at multitasking. If you work from home, make sure your children and dog are well-fed.
6. Believe in what you say and what you want to show
Align your feelings with the emotions you want to show. This makes it easier to coordinate your behavior and your verbal communication. You will come across as authentic. It enhances your credibility and helps create the impact you aim for. Moreover, it helps you maintain your mental energy.
7. Schedule breaks between meetings
Video calls require lots of concentration. It is impossible to maintain full attention for long periods of time. Research from the Microsoft’s Human Factors Lab has shown that back-to-back calls reduce the ability to concentrate. Schedule breaks between meetings to give your brain the opportunity to recover.
8. Together you achieve more
To experience mutual eye contact with your video contacts, you want them to also use eyeQ. Let them therefore know that your calls will become even more comfortable when they will also use eyeQ. With mutual eye contact, future calls will feel even more natural and authentic for both of you.
Want to know more? Get in contact with us or visit the home page to find more information.
